On The Run

Chapter 22

 Sorry I keep forgetting that I have this account and have just been updating on my other one. So... I'm just going to leave this here as I run away quickly.

Marcel leaned his hands against the iron balcony, one foot looped behind the other, as he exchanged looks with Klaus who stood apart from the group of bystanders. It was as if the human guest could sense the danger in the air and knew to keep their distance from what was about to unfold. Klaus has been back in New Orleans for over a month now and this standoff was a long time coming. Klaus was never a man to share anything, least of all power and now he had a even more powerful vampire at his side. This little unassuming blonde was not going to be the dead of him. There was no doubt in Marcel's mind that tonight would end with bloodshed and it wouldn't be his. Marcel moved his hands from their resting position on the railing to his suit pants pockets.

"It looks like my guest of honor has finally arrived." His eyes fixated on Caroline for a moment before returning to Klaus as his thousand watt smile burned bright, "I'm glad everyone could make it. I can't believe I overlooked that I never officially welcomed the Mikealson family back to my city. Now we have a even more beautiful resident that's joined us." Marcel grabbed a flute of champagne from a nearby table and raised it in toast, "To Caroline Forbes, what a treasure."

Marcel smiled into his glass after seeing the almost unnoticeable clench of Klaus' jaw and would have missed it without his vampire sight. Klaus moves a few steps towards the balcony,

"King Marcellus, God of War." Klaus' voice echoed off the walls with mockery as he fixed his hands behind his back. "Little Warrior... Or should I say Little Thief." Klaus smirk widened as Marcel's relaxed exterior cracked. "You seem to have made yourself quite cozy in my family home. A home in which you will no longer be living in. There was once a time when all creatures knew that the M that adorn these walls stood for Mikealson and you falsely passed it off as your own."

Murmurs from the unsuspecting guest cut the air of the ballroom.

"A lot of things have change since those days and I am certainly no thief. I can't steal what was left behind... Or should I say ran from." Marcel stood straight with his head held high. "Considering I was the one that sent word to Mikeal that you were in New Orleans, I would know."

The composed feature on Klaus' face slipped to form a deadly scowl and the smirk he wore faded. The remaining Mikealson siblings step forward almost in unison but Klaus raised one hand to hold them back. There was a tense moment of silence that passed between the two and Klaus broke the stare to look upon the room around him. Klaus stood singular in the center of the room and he couldn't help but notice the number of humans that left as more vampires surrounded him. The only bodies that accompanied him where his family that stood several feet behind him. Caroline stood just to the side of his siblings along with the Salvatore's. Klaus met her narrowed eyes with a quick smirk to show her his confidence before turning back to Marcel.

"When our family first returned to this city I was genuine at offering you to stay and rule with me in the city. If you refused, well I would have just sent you away to lick your wounds but the actions you have taken towards my family as well as Caroline are inexcusable. I suspect that after your little revelation, I won't be the only one after your throat."

"See that's your problem Klaus. You still think of me as that slave boy you rescued from being beaten but I'm not. I'm King." Marcel's voice rose to a yell to emphasize his word. "I know you are here to kill me and I won't allow that to happen."

Marcel brought two fingers to his lips to let out a deep whistle. Vampires started filling the balcony passageways on all sides and dropped from the railings to stand along with the other vampires that circled Klaus. Cries from the remaining human guest could be heard as vampires drained their bodies of blood to strengthen themselves for battle. Marcel smile with confidence down at his sire as Klaus' eye filtered through the room.